Speed

By Travis Lee

Speed. As a culture we’re obsessed with it. Say the name Chuck Yeager to WWII veterans and most baby-boomers and the name instantly means something. Over the next several tips, I’m going to reveal to you how you can create and implement at unprecedented speeds in your business.

In sports, we clamor to see the fastest-this, and the fastest-that. For years people wondered if anyone could run a sub four-minute mile. Then, nearly overnight, Roger Bannister became a household name. He had speed over a distance no one thought possible.

Over time, we’ve come to embrace speed over shorter distances. Once the “fastest man in the world” was reserved for the mile runners, now it’s the 100 meter sprinters. Does that say something about our society? Probably.

Today people run (pun intended) so see past greats like Carl Lewis, and the current world record holder Usain Bolt. If you recall, the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Bolt went from relative unknown to world renowned athlete in the span of a week because he possessed speed which no one else had seen.

The same goes for the business world. We’re attracted to those entrepreneurs who get things done quickly, seemingly overnight. In fact we’ll often pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to be in the same room as them, or to hear them speak at a seminar or convention.

But understand, speed, getting things done quickly, always creates chaos. Success happens in a dirty kitchen. You need to be willing to have a mess, and have someone there to pick up the pieces. At first the person cleaning up can be you. But as you move along and get things done even faster, you’ll likely need someone else there to clean up.

After all, you can’t create if you’re cleaning. Many people can’t handle the chaos and the mess it creates. But if you learn to deal with it, and use it to your advantage, you’ll find you create opportunities seemingly at will.

Set a launch date. Whether that be self-imposed (a good one), or one imposed by some event, date, or commitment to another person. The latter is my favorite.

I’m just like you. I procrastinate too often, especially if there is no “end date.” I even do this on my own self-imposed deadlines. But give me a drop-dead, this-has-got-to-get-done deadline imposed by an upcoming event or commitment to a client, and the procrastination goes away.

Launch dates will often take on a life of their own. No longer will you say, “if this gets done.” It now becomes, “when this gets done.” That’s a huge piece of leverage for your sub-conscious mind.

Not only will this create a concrete day in your head, by you’ll start to attract people, opportunities, and resources, almost magically. Having a launch date will almost always gain you access to others who get things done fast. You’ll be magnetic to them, and together you’ll get things done even faster.

Just offer it. Too many times we think of the “what if’s” with a launch What if it bombs? What if it’s a success and I can’t fulfill it? (A problem I’d always rather have.) What if something unexpected happens? And on and on. Be like Nike, just do it. If no one responds, no one else has to know. But if people do respond…

Protect your time. I have to admit, this is probably the hardest one. Many of you are probably just like me. Not only are you the CEO of your business, you’re also the marketer, the best salesman, the purchasing manager, the maintenance person for your printers, etc.

Block out chunks of time where you can be left alone, no phone, no email, no blackberry, nothing, and start hammering stuff out. Invest your time in the highest priorities, and those activities and tasks your good at. Give everything else to other people and leverage their time.

“No little kids are going to die.” This is a quote from a marketer I study closely, Ali Brown. It may sound harsh, but think of it this way: If your speed creates chaos and a mess, “no little kids are going to die.” If, heaven forbid, no one buys your offering, “no little kids are going to die.” If you sell a ton of product and make an obscene amount of money, “no little kids are going to die.”